ISTANBUL

Israeli forces struck on Friday the Iranian capital of Tehran during the Quds Day march, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Small explosions occurred near Tehran's Valiasr Square, where crowds were participating in the annual Quds Day march, with plumes of smoke rising into the sky afterward.

Meanwhile, the Quds Day marches were attended by top Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council Sadeq Amoli Larijani and nuclear agency chief Mohammad Eslami.

The marches were also attended by Iranian government ministers, including Mohammad Atabak, Alireza Kazemi, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh, Farzaneh Sadegh, Sattar Hashemi, Ahmad Meydari, Abbas Salehi, Ahmad Donyamali, and Abbas Aliabadi.

Head of the Administrative and Employment Affairs Organization Alaeddin Rafizadeh, Commander-in-Chief of the Law Enforcement Command Ahmad Reza Radan, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, President of Football Federation Mehdi Taj, Head of the Supreme Audit Court Zabihollah Khodaeian, member of the Guardian Council Alireza Arafi, Tehran Chief Prosecutor Ali Qasi Mehr, and Mohammad Mokhber, advisor to former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, were also in the Quds Day marches.

The strikes came after the Israeli army had earlier asked residents of various areas in Tehran and Qazvin to evacuate before the planned attacks.

Regional escalation has flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people and injuring over 10,000 others, according to Iranian authorities.

Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.​​​​​​​